How a local acupuncturist
used Chinese medicine to
improve her health
Sticking
With It

ERI
C
K
GIB
S
O
N

Since birth, Rachel Brumberger of

Silver Spring battled ailments including
digestion problems, bloating, nausea,
acid reflux, chronic bronchitis, anxiety
and intense fatigue. Sometimes she felt
so horrible, she was certain she was
dying. Her days were filled with doctor
visits, medical tests and medications,
but no one could clearly determine
what was wrong. And then in 2009,
when she was 29, “the scales really
tipped,” Brumberger says. She had just
returned home from a trip when she
started shaking and became hysterical,
suffering a full-blown panic attack.

Brumberger says the attack
was a turning point. She started
a new search for answers to her
health problems and soon found
acupuncture, a healing practice that
is a key component of traditional
Chinese medicine. Her health began
to improve and she started practicing
additional principles of
Chinese medicine, including
nutritional therapy and
philosophy. Brumberger
also became a licensed
acupuncturist in May 2013
and plans to open a wellness
center in Silver Spring later
this year.

Now 34, Brumberger says she’samazed at how good she feels; sheno longer needs to take medicationregularly. “I enjoy life now,” she says.

“It’s a whole new world.”According to the 2007 NationalHealth Interview Survey, about

3. 1 million American adults had
used acupuncture in the previous
year, an increase of approximately

1 million people since the 2002 survey.
Source: Most recent data from the
National Center for Complementary
and Alternative Medicine